Technical specifications or engineering specifications used in various industries are static documents, typically produced using a word processor. These documents contain numerous references to codes, standards and other specifications. They also contain references to other kinds of documents that are intimately related, such as equipment datasheets, inspection and test requirements, bills of material, and other engineering, procurement, and project management documents. In many cases the main engineering specifications are the governing documents, while the information on other closely related specifications and other intimately related documents becomes out-of-spec because they are treated as separate documents.
It would be desirable if the user experience of individuals who write, read, and/or act on technical specifications was both more powerful for managing engineering information and engineering workflows, and at the same time more simplified in editing from typical systems (e.g. word processing) that are in use today.